MSP is the healthiest metro in country, says American College of Sports Medicine

Twin Citians defended our championship as the most healthy and fit metro in the land, says the American College of Sports Medicine in its 2012 American Fitness Index.

Researchers examined dozens of "personal" and "community" health indicators, including diet, exercise, smoking, chronic disease rates, availability of parks and athletic fields, school policies regarding physical education, access to health care -- even the percentage of residents who bike or walk to work. And for the second straight year, MSP topped the list.

The Twin Cities ended up with 19 "Areas of Excellence," compared to just four "Improvement Priority Areas," including a low percentage of folks eating enough fruits and veggies, high asthma rates, relatively few acres of parkland per capita, and relatively few swimming pools per capita. Hey, nobody's perfect, right?

MSP edged out second-place Washington, D.C., with Boston, San Francisco, and Hartford rounding out the top five, respectively. The five least healthy metros are Birmingham, Dallas, Louisville, Detroit, and last-place Oklahoma City.

To see the 50-metro ranking, click here. To read the full survey, click here.